Flying the flag

To create a visually impactful livery for Air New Zealand that would mark the arrival of the new Dreamliner aircraft, and would be a long-term pride piece for the brand. The livery had to be contemporary but timeless, iconic and easily adaptable across the full fleet of Air New Zealand planes.

We underwent a rigorous process of creative exploration, using the iconic silver fern as our inspiration. It was already a powerful and internationally recognized symbol with brand equity that we could leverage. And fittingly it was the New Zealand tourism symbol – its use signifying opening the world to New Zealand. The design is flexible and simple allowing it to be scaled across the fleet, from local and domestic carriers to the new brand new 787-9 Dreamliner. A pared back version of the livery was developed using a flow device to create a black half of the plane that was rolled out across the majority of the planes, with the full black plane reserved for a select few.

Air New Zealand is the only airline to have painted its planes black – and this new livery is a testament to the original black plane’s success, solidifying Air New Zealand’s position as the nation’s carrier, celebrating ‘New Zealandness’ on an international stage.